Friday, February 29, 2008

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur, Since I've Been Loving You

The band is on fire. Page absolutely shreds through the solos in Heartbreaker. Plant hits an impossibly high note during the final verse at the end of the line "go away heartbreaker!" Page plays a funky stop-start riff during the guitar solo section in Dazed and Confused. Plant improvises new lyrics during the final verse. After Bring it on Home, Plant jokes that the way things are going, the new album could be out within anywhere between three weeks and ten years. The recording ends with another dramatic Since I've Been Loving You in which Page delivers a particularly inspired performance.

The tape is clear and well-balanced, quite enjoyable. If only we had the rest of this energetic, playful performance.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

Plant tells the crowd to "be prepared to take off your ties" before Immigrant Song. Page stops playing during the a cappella solo in Heartbreaker and demands that the house lights be turned off. Plant echoes his demand and asks the crowd to cooperate and sit down or the show will not continue. The crowd cheers as the light go down and Page continues with an excellent second half of the solo. Dazed and Confused is amazing. Page adds new sections and riffs throughout the marathon guitar solo section, even including some licks from White Summer during the outro. One of, if not the best performance thus far. A true epic.

Page, Plant, and Bonzo get into an intimate interplay with each other in the middle of Bring it on Home. Plant teases those sitting in the balcony, asking if they've got their popcorn and telling them if they're falling asleep, That's the Way will help them along. The taper fiddles with the microphone during the song, disturbing the delicate atmosphere. Jones plays some beautiful licks on the mandolin. Plant tries to keep the crowd calm as Page plays the intro to another moody, dynamic Since I've Been Loving You. Bonzo's performance is especially powerful. The song seems to get better and better with each performance.

The middle of Thank You is explosive, Page's frenzied soloing soars over Bonzo's thunderous pounding. Plant sounds mournful during the final verse as Page's ethereal licks accent Jones's organ outro. A beautiful performance. Plant once again showcases his encyclopedic knowledge of old rock and blues classics during Whole Lotta Love. The medley includes an excellent rendition of Matchbox, Jimmy Rogers's That's Alright, and a slow blues version of Heartbeat. Plant has the crowd screaming "P.A. is crap!" in response to the feedback on his microphone before the band launches into frenzied renditions of Elvis Presley's My Baby Left Me and That's All Right. He warns the crowd to be cool before Communication Breakdown. Page accents the end of the song with a series of theramin bursts. An absolutely amazing performance from beginning to end. Definitely a must hear.

The tape is a great audience recording, clear and well-balanced. Amazing.

Side note: I designed the artwork for this a decade ago when this version surfaced (as Sharky Goes West) and forgot about it, only to find someone had uploaded it to Zeppelin Art after all this time. Cheers to whoever held onto it for all these years.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

The tape begins with the taper asking his friends for the time as the band does a brief soundcheck before launching into Immigrant Song, which is almost a carbon copy of the version on Led Zeppelin III. Page's soloing is rather subdued during Dazed and Confused, preferring long sustained notes and simple patterns over the usual acrobatics. There are some tape disturbances that effect the stereo separation during Bring it on Home.

The acoustic set is expanding as the first appearance of Bron-Yr-Aur replaces White Summer/Black Mountain Side as Page's solo showcase. More tape issues all but destroy Page's delicate intro to Since I've Been Loving You. Jones's ever-expanding organ solo is no longer a mere intro to Thank You, but is quickly becoming its own complex entity. The unfortunate tape disturbances continue throughout Thank You, particularly during the guitar solo. The tape is cut during the medley in Whole Lotta Love as the band is playing a slow blues "feel so good" jam. The band is quite subdued, a far cry from the usual boogie explosion. The sound deteriorates considerably as they return for Communication Breakdown, which again features Good Times Bad Times following the bass solo.

The recording is a bit distant and muffled with many tape issues throughout the show.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, Since I've Been Loving You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

The tape begins just before the guitar solo in Immigrant Song. Plant's wails echo over the coda. After Heartbreaker, someone near the taper quips "wow, that was good!" Another audience member comments on Bonzo's "fuckin' gong" during the intro to Dazed and Confused. Plant is on the verge of swallowing his harmonica during Bring it on Home. The tape is a bit fragmentary, losing the beginning and end of most songs.

Plant delivers a powerful, dynamic performance during Since I've Been Loving You. Whole Lotta Love begins during the medley with Plant running through a number of obscure blues references, including John Lee Hooker's Bottle Up and Go, Roy Orbison's Move on Down the Line, and Muddy Waters's Honey Bee among others. The recording ends with a raucous Communication Breakdown, which features a nearly complete version of Good Times Bad Times (with lyrics!) during the breakdown.

The tape is noisy and overloaded. There is also a very disruptive group of people near the taper who talk, scream, and sing along throughout the show.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, That's the Way, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

The tape begins during the guitar solo in Immigrant Song. Plant improvises some amusing lyrics during the bow solo in Dazed and Confused to discourage those in the crowd who want to cause trouble. Page plays a Machine Gun-esque interlude during the guitar solo section. The tape is cut between songs. Bring it on Home features a cool descending riff from Page during Plant's harmonica solo.

Since I've Been Loving You is very similar to the version on Led Zeppelin III. Jones's organ solo and the first few bars of Thank You are missing from the tape. That's the Way now has its proper title, but the end of the song is missing. How Many More Times has been dropped from the set with Whole Lotta Love replacing it as the venue for the medley. Plant leads the band through another marathon of classics including Elmore James's Shake Your Moneymaker, Jimmy Reed's Down in Virginia, as well as the Muddy Waters favorites Hoochie Coochie Man, Honey Bee, and Long Distance Call. His knowledge of old blues songs is absolutely encyclopedic. The tape ends with a brief fragment of Communication Breakdown.

The tape is a bit noisy and distorted with the bass frequencies causing it to sound muffled at times.

Roughly a minute and a half of 8mm color footage filmed by journalist Chris Welch is available on Hercules's Film Noir Vol. 1. It's extremely fragmentary, but fun to watch nonetheless. Page is wearing what appears to be a full length red wizard's cape.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, That's the Way, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, Long Tall Sally

The band's legendary performance at the Bath Festival begins with a brief soundcheck before launching into the first appearance of Immigrant Song. Still in its early stages (Plant sings different lyrics with a slightly different melody and structure), the overall pounding intensity remains intact. Page shreds through the solos in Heartbreaker, Plant's voice echoing over the thunderous attack. Dazed and Confused is an epic workout. Bring it on Home features some excellent harmonica work from Plant. Since I've Been Loving You is epic, Page's playing is soulful and Plant's wails are spine-chilling.

After a source change, singing birds can be heard as Page tunes his guitar. The original source returns for an excellent dynamic performance of Thank You. Page's frenzied soloing soars above Bonzo's thunderous pounding. The definition of light and shade. Our first glimpse of the acoustic side of Led Zeppelin comes in the form of an early version of That's the Way, introduced here as "Boy Next Door". Page's tone is dirty and raw during a ferocious What is and What Should Never Be. Bonzo's drums sound like relentless machine gun fire during a frenzied Moby Dick.

Plant tells everyone in the crowd to smile before the band launches into an explosive How Many More Times. Plant sings a few lines of Down By the River during the Bolero section. His voice echoes out over the crowd as he starts his boogie intro. The band joins in for slow and heavy renditions of Muddy Waters's Honey Bee and Long Distance Call. The pace picks up for Boogie Chillen' and Sweet Home Chicago. After Plant's lemon squeezing, he gets the band into excellent renditions of Elvis Presley's I Need Your Love Tonight and That's All Right. Page is in top form, playing anything Plant can throw at him. The return to the main riff is crushing, the finale a devastating explosion of energy. It's amazing the crowd survived.

After the one-two punch of Whole Lotta Love and Communication Breakdown, the band returns to the stage one last time to satisfy the crowd's demands for more. Long Tall Sally frames a raucous medley including Johnny B. Goode, That's All Right, and other classics from the annals of rock history. A riotous end to one of the most legendary Led Zeppelin concerts ever recorded. Definitely a must hear.

The tape is a mix of at least two sources, both similar in quality. Noisy and distorted, but fairly clear. The sound deteriorates considerably during the encores.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Page's appearance on BBC's Julie Felix Show presenting a rare acoustic version of White Summer/Black Mountain Side. The footage begins with an introduction by the show's host. Page performs alone on a soundstage containing nothing but the stool on which he sits. The quick run-through of the song is interesting to watch as the cameras capture many close-ups of Page's fingerwork. The sound quality is excellent, unfortunately the video contains horizontal distortion lines that are present on all copies.

Bonzo is out of control during We're Gonna Groove, thrashing and pounding everything within reach. The band are locked into each other during Dazed and Confused. The fast guitar solo section is especially riotous. Page shreds through the solos in Heartbreaker. Bonzo's pounding is relentless, he attacks the drums with incredible force.

Plant seems to be holding back during Bring it on Home, avoiding the strain of the higher notes. He sounds mournful during Thank You, which features an excellent solo from Page. A couple loud firecracker blasts interrupt the quieter moments. A thunderous Moby Dick is immediately followed by Whole Lotta Love, skipping How Many More Times. Plant talks his way through the lyrics, it's obvious he's in bad shape. He attempts a signature wail during the theramin freakout, but gives up singing/saying "I can't take it." During the "way down inside..." section, he quips "sometimes I don't feel so good" before pushing himself to belt out the final "love!" After the band leaves the stage, Page returns with an announcement that due to Plant's illness, the show will not continue.

Friday, February 22, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, Bring it on Home, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love

The tape begins with a brief introduction by the taper stating the date and location of the show to follow. There is a stage announcement about an autographed Led Zeppelin album being given away by a local radio personality before the band is introduced. They do a brief soundcheck, after which Plant quips "thank you, goodnight" before properly greeting the crowd. We're Gonna Groove includes the same funky jam during the guitar solo as heard nine days earlier in Raleigh. The tape is cut between songs.

The atmosphere is very subdued during Dazed and Confused. Since I've Been Loving You is moody and dynamic, especially Plant's performance. An excellent rendition. The sound quality deteriorates a bit at the beginning of Thank You. Plant changes a line to "I think you better shut your mouth" during the final verse. The first few moments of What is and What Should Never Be are missing from the tape.

How Many More Times begins with a funky jam. Plant's introduction of Page is punctuated by a theramin burst. The apparently tense atmosphere in the crowd causes Plant to attempt to diffuse the situation by telling the police to put their hands together. Page improvises angrily as Plant tries in vain to get the house light turned off. The marathon medley features an excellent rendition of Memphis, Tennessee. Plant recites the first verse of Ramble On over the For What it's Worth theme before the band joins in for the chorus. A short version of Tobacco Road is cut in the middle. The tempo slows down for the Muddy Waters favorites Honey Bee and Long Distance Call.

Plant pauses during the "got you in the sights..." section to address the crowd in regards to the police presence. Unfortunately, his comments are cut slightly before he makes mention of saving Peter Grant and asks that the crowd not stand on the chairs. After mentioning a hockey player he had seen on television, the band jumps into a raucous rendition of That's All Right. Plant stops the show again to beg the crowd to get off of the chairs and rails before the police arrest Grant. He is obviously feeling helpless as the police continue to hassle the band over the unruly crowd. The song ends in an explosion of echo-heavy wails. One of the best performances thus far, despite the trouble with the authorities.

As the band returns to the stage for Whole Lotta Love, Plant attempts to get the crowd under control, saying "when everything happens, don't stand up for god's sake." The recording ends with the taper describing the show as "the greatest concert I've ever heard."

The tape is a bit muffled and hissy with Bonzo buried in the mix, but the performance more than makes up for the less than perfect sound quality. A must hear for How Many More Times alone.

Another fragmentary recording, but far more satisfying than the last. The tape begins during the initial verses of Dazed and Confused. There is a slight cut in the tape right before the bow solo. Another cut during the finale leads us right into the echo-heavy intro to Heartbreaker, with Plant shouting "alright!" Page plays a relaxed a cappella solo. The song ends with another burst of echo, leading directly into Bring it on Home.

The beginning of White Summer/Black Mountain Side, which features some excellent fingerwork from Page, is missing from the tape. Another cut leaves us a few bars into Since I've Been Loving You. Thank You is preceded by a brief driving organ solo, almost certainly longer than what exists on the tape. A cut during the finale leads directly into the second chorus of Whole Lotta Love. Page mimics a police siren with the theramin during the freakout. The recording ends just as the band returns to the main riff.

The tape is clear, if a bit bass-heavy, with Page and Plant up front. If only it weren't so fragmentary.

Only a small fragment of this show survives. The tape begins during the slow blues intro to Bring it on Home. The sound is very noisy and distorted. Plant's harmonica playing is particularly inspired. The recording ends before the return of the slow blues outro. Definitely only for completists.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Bring it on Home, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love

The tape begins in the middle of a duel between Page and Bonzo during Bring it on Home. Plant attempts to read some rather odd stage announcements before introducing a frenzied White Summer/Black Mountain Side. Page is on fire, his playing is wild and lightning-fast. Since I've Been Loving You is haunting and powerful, one of the best thus far. Page's solo during Thank You is excellent, adding an epic quality to the performance. Another one of the best.

A cut in the tape leaves us in the final chorus of What is and What Should Never Be. Bonzo is explosive during Moby Dick. How Many More Times starts off with an extended funky jam. The riotous medley includes excellent renditions of Elvis Presley's A Mess of Blues and Gene Vincent's My Baby Don't 'Low. There is a slight tape disturbance during the latter. The show ends with an excellent Whole Lotta Love, which includes the first appearance of what Luis Rey calls the Everybody Needs Somebody to Love reference at the end of the theramin freakout.

The tape is clear and well-balanced, a great document of an excellent performance.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, Bring it on Home, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick

The tape begins during the first verse of We're Gonna Groove. Page gets the band into an excellent funky jam after the guitar solo. The bass intro to Dazed and Confused causes someone near the taper to respond "oh wow." Page seems to have some trouble with his equipment during the bow solo and he completely disappears during the final verse, but it doesn't detract from the epic nature of the song. The band is on fire.

Plant does a bit about American accents before Heartbreaker. Page shreds through the extended solo. Plant occasionally has a strange echo effect on his vocals. An extended Bring it on Home features some fine harmonica playing as well as an excellent duel between Page and Bonzo. Another excellent White Summer/Black Mountain Side is introduced as "the white summer of pale Jimmy Page" by Plant. One of the most interesting renditions thus far, Page experiments with many new licks and themes.

Page improvises a new opening to Since I've Been Loving You. Plant delivers a dynamic, emotionally charged performance. Jones's organ solo is based around a great driving groove. Thank You features backing vocals from Page, as well as some great bluesy licks. Bonzo is out of control. One of the best renditions thus far. The recording ends during another thunderous Moby Dick.

The tape is excellent, clear and well-balanced. It's a shame we don't have the rest of this great show.

There is about a minute and a half of silent 8mm color footage from the show in Charlotte, NC on 4/7/1970. The footage is quite dark and shaky, featuring only brief fragments of the performance. Since there is no audio from this show, I didn't think it necessary to make a separate post.

Monday, February 18, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, Bring it on Home, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, What is and What Should Never Be, Thank You, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love

Plant misses the final verse in We're Gonna Groove, causing some confusion which results in a disjointed ending. Plant apologizes for the sound as they're working with a new PA system. He makes mention of the problem again during the first verses of Dazed and Confused before the PA briefly fails completely, much to the amusement of those near the taper. Bring it on Home is cut just as the rock section is getting underway.* An abbreviated White Summer/Black Mountain Side is followed by another cut in the tape, which leads directly into What is and What Should Never Be.

There are a few dropouts/cuts during Thank You. Moby Dick is cut about seven minutes in, losing a large chunk of the solo and leaving us in the middle of the finale.*How Many More Times begins with a drum intro to a funky jam. Bonzo thrashes his way through the first verse. Plant once again struggles to maintain a cool atmosphere over the crowd. The medley includes a riotous That's All Right as well as a bit of Muddy Waters's Honey Bee. The return to the main riff is devastating with Bonzo destroying everything within reach. Plant tells the crowd to "be careful of those policemen on the way out" as they leave the stage.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant, with some hiss and scattered dropouts throughout.

*- a more complete alternate source exists, but is not currently in our collection.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Only a short fragment of the show, the tape begins as Plant is introducing White Summer/Black Mountain Side. The sound is similar to that of the previous night's tape, but a bit clearer and with less hiss. How Many More Times begins with a For What it's Worth jam while Plant introduces the band. The crowd is once again introduced as the fifth member. There are some tape disturbances as well as a cut during the medley, which includes the return of the For What it's Worth theme. The tape ends quite abruptly as the band is jamming on a bluesy riff.

We're Gonna Groove, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, Bring it on Home, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick

Page goes into the lead-in to the bow solo too early during Dazed and Confused, causing a bit of confusion until he rights himself for the next verse. Heartbreaker retains its new echo-heavy intro, it sounds like the launch sequence of some sort of alien spacecraft. There are a couple cuts near the end of White Summer/Black Mountain Side. Jones's bass pedals cause some distortion during Thank You. There is quite a bit of talking going on around the taper throughout the show. The recording ends about twenty minutes into a marathon Moby Dick.

The tape is muffled, hissy, and distant with some distortion at times.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, Bring it on Home, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

The tape begins with Plant telling the crowd that the band intends to get them looser than cod liver oil. There are some tape disturbances during We're Gonna Groove, but nothing compared to the previous tape. Tonight brings a change in the setlist as the end of the song leads right into Dazed and Confused without pause, dropping I Can't Quit You Baby. There is a good amount of crowd noise near the taper during the bow solo. Plant requests that the people standing in the aisles sit down so those around them can see before Heartbreaker, which includes an echo-heavy intro from Page.

Bring it on Home features some great blues picking from Page during the slow intro. At the end of another excellent White Summer/Black Mountain Side, the taper says "I'm really stoned" directly into the microphone, then asks his nearby friend Cathy is she's stoned too, to which she replies "oh god" between giggles. The tape is a bit warbly during Thank You and Jones's preceding organ solo. Plant assures the crowd that all of their requests will be answered before What is and What Should Never Be. Bonzo is like a well-oiled machine during Moby Dick.

Plant introduces the band as "the four survivors of the Graf Zeppelin" at the beginning of How Many More Times. He goes on to introduce the crowd as the fifth member of the band. The raucous medley includes I'm a Man as well as Plant's attempts to get the house lights turned off and keep the crowd from getting out of control/attacked by the police. He tells the crowd to clap for themselves before the band launches into a frenzied Whole Lotta Love. The show ends with Plant declaring "together we stand!" during Communication Breakdown, but the tape continues with a stage announcement about an upcoming Jimi Hendrix show, as well as comments about the show from the taper and his friends.

The tape is a combination of two sources. Both are fairly clear but hissy and a bit distant with occasional tape disturbances. Overall, a very enjoyable show which gives the complete experience of being there. A must hear.

Page solos frantically during I Can't Quit You Baby. Plant mentions between songs that the band played their first American show in Denver eighteen months prior, almost to the day. Dazed and Confused is an explosion of energy. The band is definitely in full swing, especially Page, who shreds his way through the frenzied solos during Heartbreaker. There's a slight dropout near the end of Since I've Been Loving You.

There's some strange bleedthrough in the left channel during Thank You and more noticeably at the beginning of Moby Dick. It's as if you can hear what the band is about to play before they play it. The effect is especially distracting during How Many More Times, it's as if two shows are playing over top of one another, creating a muddy cacophony. The medley features a new heavy arrangement of Boogie Chillen. Plant belts out a series of echo-heavy primal screams during the finale.

The tape is distant, muffled, distorted, and plagued by volume fluctuations. This, along with the aforementioned tape anomaly during the latter half of the show makes for one of the worst listening experiences thus far. Not recommended.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

Plant wails like a banshee during We're Gonna Groove, pushing his voice to the limit. Bonzo attacks his drums full force. Page's fingers fly wildly across the fretboard during the solos in Heartbreaker. The North American premiere of Since I've Been Loving You is bluesy and soulful. Plant's voice is a bit rough at times. Whole Lotta Love is missing the theramin freakout. A quick and dirty Communication Breakdown includes Plant wailing a few lines from Ramble On and People during the breakdown.

The newly-discovered audience recording of the famous Mudslide show begins with a brief band introduction. Plant asks the crowd if they feel alright before the band jumps into We're Gonna Groove. There tape is cut after the second verse as well as during the guitar solo, which leads us to Plant's wailing intro to I Can't Quit You Baby. Page blazes through an excellent guitar solo. Someone near the taper shouts "turn off those bloody lights!" during a quiet passage. During the final verse, someone says "wanna get stoned?" directly into the taper's microphone. There is a slight cut during the outro.

There are some speed fluctuations during the eerie intro to Dazed and Confused. Another slight cut leaves us in the first verse. Plant chants "do what you wanna do" during the lead-in to the bow solo (which sees more speed fluctuations throughout) only to shout "why don't you sit down... let the people see!" during his call and response with Page. There is another slight cut near the end of the bow solo. During the guitar solo, there is a brief clip of an acoustic guitar recorded over the show. The song is cut during the outro. An excellent, high energy performance. Plant again asks the crowd to consider those behind them and sit down before Heartbreaker, which is preceded by a C'mon Everybody-esque intro from Page. The solos are absolutely electric. The recording ends just as the final verse begins.

The tape is muffled with a fair amount of hiss, but enjoyable as a historical document.

The show opens with a surprise Communication Breakdown. After a loose and fiery I Can't Quit You Baby, Plant tells the crowd that he wants them to move around like they do in America. The band is constantly on the edge of falling apart during the guitar solo in Dazed and Confused, Page is in a world of his own. White Summer/Black Mountain Side is excellent.

Since I've Been Loving You is plodding and lackluster. Jones's organ is the highlight of Thank You, even overshadowing Page's guitar solo. Plant pleads with the crowd to sit down before introducing a thunderous Moby Dick, but is cut short by a cut in the tape. How Many More Times features an excellent jam prior to the band introductions. There is a cut in the tape before the first verse, leading us directly into the Bolero section. Plant teases the crowd with a sexually charged intro to the medley. Whole Lotta Love features a duel between Page's theramin and Jones's organ during the freakout. A lackluster performance with a few moments of inspiration.

The tape begins with a brief introduction of the band and a simple "bon soir" from Plant. He sings the "one of these days..." verse twice during We're Gonna Groove. Page, Jones, and Bonzo play a tongue-in-cheek interlude after I Can't Quit You Baby while Plant tries in vain to get the house lights turned off. A group of people near the taper giggle uncontrollably every time Plant opens his mouth, even during the first verses of Dazed and Confused. Page makes his guitar squeal in pain and ecstasy during the epic journey of a solo.

There is a slight cut at the beginning of the guitar solo in Heartbreaker. One of the gigglers near the taper mimics Page's playing during White Summer/Black Mountain Side. Since I've Been Loving You is powerful. The gigglers sing along with Plant during Thank You. The medley during How Many More Times is very mellow, thanks mostly to Plant's extended blues mumblings, and includes Muddy Waters's Long Distance Call. The recording ends just after Plant's final "love!" in Whole Lotta Love.

Monday, February 11, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love

Bonzo unleashes a barrage of machine gun fire at the end of I Can't Quit You Baby. Page makes the theramin chirp just before the bow solo in Dazed and Confused. There is a slight cut/tape disturbance during the frantic guitar solo. Page plays a muted intro to Heartbreaker ends. Page retunes his guitar just as Bonzo enters during White Summer/Black Mountain Side. There's another odd cut just as Thank You is ending which leaves us at the beginning of What is and What Should Never Be.

Moby Dick is as thunderous as ever, especially the finale. Page, Jones, and Bonzo get into a jazz improvisation at the beginning of How Many More Times. Plant has some trouble introducing the band, eventually managing to present "Johnny John Paul Jones, Jumping John Bonham, Jiving Jimmy Page, and Rocking Robert Plant." The crowd is amused by Plant's whispered boogie talk at the beginning of an excellent medley, including a very traditional run-through of Travelling Riverside Blues. The show ends with a wild Whole Lotta Love.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, Moby Dick, How Many More Times

Bonzo plods his way through I Can't Quit You Baby. Plant sounds almost bored as he introduces Dazed and Confused. Page has some problems with his equipment during the bow solo, even stopping at one point to offer the crowd an explanation. The guitar solo section is a wild cacophony. Heartbreaker is again preceded by a jam on the riff from Jeff Beck's Rice Pudding. Jones's organ is explosive during Since I've Been Loving You. Thank You is quite epic. The tape ends with a very laid back How Many More Times which picks up during the medley. A fairly low-key performance.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love

We're Gonna Groove seems a bit sluggish, especially Page. He seems to be moving in slow motion during the intro to I Can't Quit You Baby. Quite the opposite can be said of Plant, who is full of energy and bravado. Page re-tunes his guitar during the third verse of Dazed and Confused. His playing is almost drunk, very bluesy. As an intro to Heartbreaker, Page leads the band in a jam on the riff from Jeff Beck's Rice Pudding. Since I've Been Loving You is like a funeral march, mournful and longing.

Jones plays a haunting organ solo before Thank You. Bonzo is an out of control locomotive during Moby Dick. Page plays a riff similar to that of Psychotic Reaction at the beginning of How Many More Times. There is a source change to the inferior soundboard tape just as the song is getting underway. The Bolero section features some excellent improvisation. The band are locked into each other during the medley, which features excellent renditions of Bottle Up and Go and Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels' Jenny Take a Ride! Plant has everyone playing his call and response game during the "got you in the sights..." section. The tape ends during the theramin freakout in Whole Lotta Love (which features Jones on organ), leaving us without the end of this great show.

The audience tape is excellent and atmospheric. Clear and well-balanced. The soundboard tape is a bit hissy and lacks the feeling of being there that the audience tape has.

The tape starts just as Dazed and Confused is beginning, Plant adopts a delta blues drawl during the third verse. The crowd rhythmically claps along to Page's string slapping during the bow solo. Bonzo sounds like an earthquake during the guitar solo, the return to the main descending riff is absolutely devastating. Page's intro to Heartbreaker is explosive and angry. Bonzo's thunderous pounding is unrelenting. Page shreds wildly through the guitar solo. A very heavy and powerful rendition.

The crowd's incessant rhythmic clapping between songs is overwhelming. White Summer/Black Mountain Side is repeatedly interrupted by a man in the crowd talking loudly very close to the taper. Bonzo thrashes his way through Thank You, destroying the delicate facade. The beginning of How Many More Times is a wild ruckus. Plant gets into the "oh baby, pretty baby" chant he'll later use for Black Dog during the intro to the medley. Communication Breakdown features a funky bass solo from Jones during the breakdown. Plant comes in early at the beginning of the song, repeating the first line to right himself after Bonzo crashes into action. The crowd's rhythmic clapping works to the band's advantage during Bring it on Home, Page even gets into a call and response duel with them during the guitar solo. The show ends with a raucous Long Tall Sally, with Bonzo destroying anything within reach. A riotous performance.

Page's soloing is bluesy and soulful during I Can't Quit You Baby. Plant is in top form, shaking his mic violently as he wails. Page disappears during the second verse of Dazed and Confused, leaving Plant, Jones, and Bonzo sounding a bit lost. He returns in time for the lead-in to the bow solo. The guitar solo is a bit hurried and disjointed, Page's fingers seem to get in his way. Plant introduces White Summer/Black Mountain Side as "white cock."

The second appearance of Since I've Been Loving You is introduced as a minor key blues featuring Jones on Hammond organ. This rendition is much closer to the version on Led Zeppelin III than the previous performance. A very short organ intro by Jones precedes the second appearance of Thank You, which features a soulful guitar solo from Page. There is a strange tape disturbance at the beginning of Moby Dick, it sounds like someone recorded over a few seconds of the tape with a man speaking in a foreign language. Page is still in his own world of chaotic inspiration at the beginning of How Many More Times, always slightly ahead or behind the rest of the band. The ever-extending medley includes frantic renditions of Boogie Chillen, Move on Down the Line, and a surprise Be-Bop-A-Lula, among others. The announcer has the entire crowd chanting "come back!" before the band returns to close the show with Whole Lotta Love.

The tape is a bit muffled, but fairly clear with Page in front and Plant buried under the rest of the band.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

We're Gonna Groove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times*, Bring it on Home, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, C'mon Everybody, Something Else, Long Tall Sally^

*-The Lost Mixes EP Vol. 7

^-Royal Albert Hall 1970 Master Edition

The famous Royal Albert Hall show begins with a brief introduction of the band before they launch into We're Gonna Groove followed by I Can't Quit You Baby, both of which saw official release (misattributed and in altered form) on Coda. Page is in excellent form. The bow solo in Dazed and Confused is eerie and dynamic. He shreds through an excellent extended guitar solo. Bonzo and Jones are like an out of control locomotive. Plant is locked onto Page, echoing his licks at every turn until the thunderous finale. An epic indeed.

Heartbreaker is unfortunately cut short just as the guitar solo is beginning. Page delivers another impressive White Summer/Black Mountain Side, followed by an excellent What is and What Should Never Be. Plant is enthusiastically engaging the crowd at the beginning of How Many More Times, trying to make the vibes reach all the way to the back of the room. The extended Bolero section includes wild soloing from Page as well as an impromptu jam, complete with lyrics. Plant is full of bravado as he declares himself during The Hunter section. The medley includes a great Bottle Up and Go jam as well as an excellent fast-pacedThat's All Right. Plant quips "I couldn't make it that time" after his voice breaks during the final "gun!"

The first appearance of Bring it on Home has all the power and intensity of the album version and then some. Whole Lotta Love is ferocious, the crowd can't get enough. A quick and dirty Communication Breakdown is followed by quicker and dirtier renditions of C'mon Everybody and Something Else. Bonzo attacks the latter at full force. The show ends with an explosive Long Tall Sally medley including Move on Down the Line and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On.

The tape is a copy of Kevin Shirley's multitrack working mix that was being prepared for Led Zeppelin DVD. The two supplementary sources are of lesser quality, but they are more complete in the songs they are used for. The film on Led Zeppelin DVD is simply amazing. To be able to see the band interacting with one another on stage at one of their peaks. And with a superb 5.1 surround sound mix. Must see.

The tape begins during the first appearance of We're Gonna Groove, but you wouldn't know it by listening. The tape is very muffled and noisy, making it difficult to tell what's going on. The sound clears up a bit as I Can't Quit You Baby gets underway. There are some tape dropouts during the guitar solo in another epic Dazed and Confused, but nothing too distracting.

The crowd goes wild when Plant introduces Heartbreaker. The band is in full swing, playing every note with intensity. White Summer/Black Mountain Side is followed by the first appearance of Since I've Been Loving You, nine months before the release of Led Zeppelin III (although Plant says it will be out in three). The arrangement is much looser than the album version, with Plant singing alternate lyrics, but the dynamic tension remains intact. The first appearance of Thank You is preceded by an organ solo from Jones and features an excellent guitar solo by Page.

Only the first two minutes of Moby Dick survive before the tape cuts to Plant's introduction of How Many More Times. Page is introduced as "Jimmy 'Hoochie Coochie' Page." He solos frantically during the Bolero section. The crowd goes wild as Plant squeezes his lemon during the medley. The first appearance of Whole Lotta Love since Led Zeppelin II was released (now with the theramin freakout intact) is met with a loud cheer from the crowd. Plant has them echoing his wails of "woman!" repeatedly. In a twist on their former show opener, Communication Breakdown closes the show and features a bit of Good Times Bad Times during the breakdown. Welcome to 1970.

The tape is muffled, noisy, and distant with some hiss. Luckily, the next night will provide quite a different listening experience.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown, I Can't Quit You Baby, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times

Page's soloing sounds like razor blades during Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown and I Can't Quit You Baby. He plays the opening chords of Joe Cocker's With a Little Help from My Friends during the latter. Plant tries to get the crowd under control before introducing Heartbreaker, to which someone near the taper responds "listen to this." The band gets a bit lost during Dazed and Confused when Page starts playing a third verse instead of the lead-in to the bow solo, but they recover quickly with an improvised transition. There are a few strange tape speed-ups/cuts during Page's solos and toward the end of the song.

There are more recording issues during White Summer/Black Mountain Side, most noticeable is a huge volume shift about two minutes in. Page plays a really nice sitar-like interlude near the middle of the song. Page goes wild during the final chorus of Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, chopping the riff to pieces. Moby Dick is cut in a few places. How Many More Times includes a strange avant-garde intro during which Page plays a bit of Count Five's Psychotic Reaction. The remainder of the tape is plagued by constant speed fluctuations until it ends during The Hunter section.

The tape is muddy and distorted with Bonzo and Plant buried under Page and Jones. It's also riddled with speed fluctuations throughout the show.